Ship.



G. E. ELIA.

SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1916.

1,286,261. Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I- G. E. ELIA.

SHlP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.17.19\6.

1,286,261 Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- G. E. ELIA.

SHIP.

APPLICATION men MAR. 17. ms.

1,286,261. Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

G. E. ELIA.

SHIP.

APPLICATION man MAR H, l9l6.

1,286,261 Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4- GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y.

SHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

Application filed March 17, 1916. Serial No. 84,947.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GIOVANNI E. ELIA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Hotel Ritz-Carlton, New York, N. Y., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ships; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to ships, especially war-ships, of the kind in which compartments or chambers situated along the sides of the ships hull are provided with a number of strong wire cables which offer a flexible resistance to the expansion of the gases resulting from the explosion of a mine or torpedo contiguous to the ship and thus serve to dimininsh the destructive force of the expldsion.

According to this invention the wire cables are connected to the transverse bulkheads of-the compartments or chambers and to the framing of the ship by members which are adapted to be sheared when the cables are placed under great tension as a result of the expansion of the explosion gases.

Each end of each of the cables may have one or more shearing members or one end of the cable may be permanently attached to the bulkhead or other fixed part while the other end is provided with one or more of the shearing members. In the preferred construction eachend of the cable has a number of shearing members constituted by a numberof collars or projections on the periphery of a sleeve which is connected to the cable and is disposed within a bra ket attached to the bulkhead or framing and having an internal flange against which the innermost collar bears. The collars are made of softer material than the flange on the bracket so that when the cable is placed under severe tension as a result of a mine or torpedo explosion, the collars will be sheared in succession by the said flange.

border that the said invention may be clearlyunderstood and readily carried into effect I will describe the same more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which 'Figure 1 is a transverse section of part of a battleship provided with my improvements;

Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged views of parts thereof;

Fig. 8 is a front elevation showing the arrangement of the flexible members constructed according to my invention applied to a ship having double bulkheads.

Fig. 9 is a corresponding view to Fig. 8 showing the position of the parts after the flexible members of one compartment or chamber have been subjected to the efi'ect of an explosion.

As shown in Fig. 1 the outer wall of the chamber A comprises thin plating B supported by light framings b suitably conne ted at their upper and lower ends to the adjacent portions of the ship. The inner wall of the chamber A comprises a strong con ave bulkhead C. Within the chamber A is an arrangement of cables D located in vertical and horizontal rows and connected at their points-of crossing by wires or the like (Z. Each cable is provided at its ends with a number of shearing members constituted by a number of collars e on a sleeve E which is conneted to the cable and is disposed within a bla'ket F attached to the bulkhead or framing C. The said bracket F has an internal flange 7 against which theinnermost collar 6 bears.

In order that this arrangement may act eflectively the bra ket may be mounted on trunnions 9 supported on a bifurcated member H attached to the ships framing or the transverse bulkheads so that it can follow the movements of the cable when the latter is bent by the force of an explosion, thereby I- in the drawings the brackets or the vertical cables may be connected to the ships framing and those of the horizontal cables to the transverse bulkheads that separate the various compartments along the ship.

The approximate position assumed by the collars after an explosion is illustrated at Figs. 6 and 7. In Fig. 6 the lower collar 6 is shownas having been sheared by the explosion while in Fig. 7 two of the collars e are assumed to have been sheared.

It has been found that when wire cables or other flexible, deformable or breakable members are connected to the transverse bulkheads, the tension on the said members .of one compartment, resulting from the explosion gases, is liable to break or deform the bulkheads, so that sea water enters not only the particular compartment directly affected by the mine or torpedo explosion, but also the compartments on each side of this compartment. In order to avoid this I 5 disadvantage, I arrange the bulkheads in duplicate as shown at Figs. 8 and9, the flexible members D of one compartment being connected to one of these bulkheads G and the members of the other compartment to the contiguous bulkhead G Owing to this arrangement and as illustrated at Fig. 9, even if the two inner bulkheads G of a compartment are broken or deformed the other bulkheads G are not affected. This arrangement of bulkheads is particularly, although not exclusively, applicable to the above described wire cables and shearing members.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A warship or other sea going vessel having compartments around the ship for the purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, means located Within said compartments which ofler a flexible resistance to the expansion of the gases resulting from an explosion contiguous to the ship, and means for attaching said first mentioned means to the framing of the ship, said last mentioned means being adapted to be sheared when the first mentioned means are placed under great tension as a result of the expansion of th explosion gases.

2. A warship or other sea going vessel having compartments around the ship for the purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, flexible members located Within said compartments, and members for attaching said flexible members to the ship, said attaching members being adapted to be sheared when the flexible membersare placed under great tension as a result of the expansion of the explosion gases.

3. A warship or other sea going vessel having compartments around the ship for the purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, wire cables located within said compartments, and members for attaching said wire cables to the framing of the ship, said members being adapted to be sheared whenthe cables are placed under great tension as .a result of the expansion of the explosion gases.

55 4, A Warship or other sea going vessel having compartments around the ship for the purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, flexible members located within said compartments, and

60,members at both ends of said flexible members .for attaching the latter to the fram- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ing of the ship, said members being adapted to be sheared when the flexible members are placed under great tension as a result of the expansion of the explosion gases. 5. A warship or other sea going vessel having compartments around the ship for the purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, flexible cables located within said compartments" and shearing members for attaching the ends of saidocables to the ships framing comprising brackets attached to the ships framing, each bracket having an internal flange, sleeves connected to'the ends of said cables and disposed within said brackets, and collars on each of said sleeves, the innermost collar bearing on said internal flange.

6.,A warship or other sea going vessel having compartments around the ship for vthe purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, flexible cables located within said compartments and shearing members for attaching the ends of said cables to the ships framing comprising brackets attached to the ships framing, each bracket having an internal flange, sleeves connected to the ends of said cables and disposed within said brackets, and" collars made of softer metal than the, said flange on each of said sleeves, the innermost collar bearing on said internal flange.

7, A warship or other sea going vessel having compartments around the ship for the purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, flexible cables lo cated withinsaid compartments, shearing members for attaching the ends of said cables to the ships framing, supporting brackets for the shearing members, and trunnions for the supporting brackets so that the latter can follow the movements of the cables When the latter arevbent by the 'force of the explosion.

the purpose of protecting it from the effects of submarine explosions, transverse bulkheads within said compartments said transverse bulkheads being arranged in duplicate, and means located within said compartments which offer a flexibleresistance to the expansion of the gases resulting from an explosion contiguous to the. ship, said means within one compartment being attached to one of said duplicate transverse bulkheads and to the framing of the ship, andwsaid means within the adjacent compartment being attached to the contiguous transverse bulkhead and to the framing'of the ship. Y

In testimony whereof-I aflix my signature. GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA.

five cents eacli, by'addressing the Commissioner of intents. Washington, D. 0. 

